The invention relates to an open roof construction for a vehicle, having a roof opening formed in the roof of the vehicle and comprising at least one closure element, which is movable along a guide between a position in which it closes the roof opening and a position in which it releases the roof opening, wherein a driving mechanism is used for the closure element, which driving mechanism comprises a driving source and at least one driving element which couples said driving source to said closure element, which closure element can be locked in at least one position with respect to said guide, whilst the driving element can be disconnected from said closure element in said position and be moved with respect thereto for the purpose of driving another element that forms part of the open roof construction.
Examples of prior art open roof constructions of this type are to be found in, for example, German Offenlegungsschrift Nos. 3424334 and 19654558 and in U.S Pat. No. 4,974,902.
It is an object of the present invention to further improve an open roof construction of the present type.
In order to accomplish that objective, the open roof construction includes a coupling arm present between said closure element and said driving element, which coupling arm is pivotally connected to said closure element with one end and which engages said driving element with its other end, in such a manner that the coupling arm, in a first pivoted position thereof, is substantially rigidly connected to the driving element, whilst in a second pivoted position of the coupling arm the closure element is on the one hand fixed in position with respect to said guide, whilst on the other hand the driving element becomes movable with respect to the coupling arm and the closure element.
In this way an effective, reliable construction is provided, by means of which the driving element is given an additional driving function.
It is noted that a variant wherein the coupling arm is pivotally connected to the driving element with one end and engages the closure element with its other end merely constitutes a kinematic reversal and consequently falls within the scope of the present invention as well.
In an advantageous embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention, the selective movability of the coupling arm with respect to the driving element is effected in that the driving element includes a slide provided with an elongated groove, in which a slide block which is connected to the coupling arm is accommodated, wherein the groove and the slide block are so designed that movement of the slide block within said groove is not possible in the first pivoted position of the coupling arm, whereas such movement is possible indeed in the second pivoted position.
The coupling arm can be moved to its first and its second pivoted position in an advantageous manner in that the coupling arm carries a locking projection, which is moved through said guide for the purpose of defining said first pivoted position, and which is capable of engaging in a locking recess in the fixed roof construction of the vehicle, for example in said guide, in said second pivoted position so as to fix the closure element with respect to the guide, wherein the groove of said slide comprises a straight first portion having straight walls, which extends substantially parallel to said guide, and an adjoining second portion having sloping walls, which includes an angle with said straight portion, wherein the slide block is adapted or shaped, for example in a diamond-shaped, to be present in said second groove portion in the first pivoted position of the coupling arm, being rigidly connected to the slide by the sloping walls thereof, and wherein said slide block is positioned in said first groove portion in said second pivoted position, in which position it is capable of movement between the straight walls thereof.
When the locking projection of the coupling arm is being moved through the guide, the slide block is positioned in the second groove portion. In this position, the driving force that is exerted by the driving element can be transmitted to the slide block via the sloping walls, and consequently to the closure element via the coupling arm. In this manner, the driving element is connected to the closure element.
The sloping groove walls exert a force component on the slide block, which attempts to move the slide block out of the second groove portion. The co-operation between the locking projection and the guide prevents such movement of the slide block and the resulting pivoting movement of the coupling arm, however. When the locking projection reaches the aforesaid locking recess in the fixed roof construction, for example in the guide, however, said force component will cause the slide block to move, whereby the locking projection will engage in said locking recess. On the one hand, this will cause the coupling arm, and thus also the closure element, to be fixed in position with respect to the fixed roof construction. In addition, however, the slide block will move from the second groove portion to the first groove portion, thus enabling the slide to move with respect to the slide block. The slide block thus moves into the first groove portion.
Herein before it has been described how the closure element can be locked in at least one position, whilst the driving element can be disconnected from the closure element in that position. It is also possible, however, to achieve a comparable effect in yet another position of the closure element. In such a case the coupling arm can also take up a third pivoted position, in which movement of the driving element with respect to the coupling arm and the closure element becomes possible, and in which position the direction of the movement of the driving element on the one hand and the coupling arm and the closure element on the other hand with respect to each other is opposed to the direction of the relative movement of said parts in the second pivoted position.
This can be effected, for example, in that the groove comprises two straight groove portions adjoining the second groove portion on opposite sides thereof, wherein the slide block of the coupling arm is present in one straight groove portion in its second pivoted position, whilst it is present in the other straight groove portion in its third pivoted position. Preferably, the coupling arm will furthermore carry a second locking projection in such a case, which mates with an additional locking recess in the fixed roof construction in an similar manner.
In a practical embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention, a second closure element is used, which can be driven together with the first closure element by the driving element, and which, in the position in which the first closure element is locked in position with respect to the guide, can be moved with respect to the first closure element by the driving element, which is likewise movable with respect to the first closure element in that position. Thus the two closure elements may first be moved to the position in which they close the roof opening, for example, after which the second closure element is moved back slightly with respect to the first closure element, in order to form an opening between the two closure elements, for example for the purpose of obtaining pressure equalization.
Such a manner of driving the second closure element with respect to the first closure element can be effected, for example, when the driving element is returned to said second closure element, to which it is connected, in a looped path through said first closure element. As long as the coupling arm is in its first pivoted position and the driving element is connected to said first closure element, the driving element and the first closure element will not move with respect to each other, and neither will the first and second closure elements, therefore. When the coupling arm has left its first pivoted position and the driving element is capable of movement with respect to the first closure element, however, said movement is returned to the second closure element in reverse direction via the looped portion of the driving element, which second closure element will subsequently move in a direction opposed to the original direction of movement of the first closure element so as to space the two closure elements apart.
As already briefly indicated before, said one position may be the position in which the closure element closes the roof opening.
When, as already said before, a second closure element is used, it is advantageous to use an embodiment of the open roof construction wherein the second closure element can be moved from the closing position to the releasing position along the same guide as the first closure element, wherein lateral guides connect to said guides, into which the second closure element can be moved to its releasing position so as to place the two closure elements in an overlapping position adjacently to each other, and wherein the second closure element is connected to the driving element in such a manner that when said second closure element is accommodated in said lateral guides, the driving element can move with respect to the second closure element.
Initially, the two closure elements move from the closing position to the releasing position. Then the second closure element moves into the lateral guides and remains stationary therein. The first closure element then continues its movement beside the second closure element. Once the second closure element has arrived in the lateral guides, the driving element is disconnected from said second closure element.
Said disconnection can be effected, for example, in that the driving element engages in a channel formed in the second closure element by means of a connecting arm, in such a manner that when the second closure element is positioned in the lateral guides, said connecting arm will move through said channel upon movement of the first closure element to the position in which it overlaps the second closure element, and wherein said connecting arm strikes against a channel end upon movement of the first closure element in the opposite direction, thus carrying the second closure element along with the first closure element.
During the movement of the two closure elements from the closing position to the releasing position, the movement of the connecting arm in the channel makes it possible for the first closure element to continue its movement beside the second closure element once the second closure element has reached the lateral guides. In this manner an overlapping, compact position of the two closure elements is effected. In reverse direction, during movement from said releasing position to said closing position, the second closure element will initially remain stationary until the connecting arm strikes against the channel end in question and the second closure element is pulled out of the lateral guides into the guide, from where it will move along with the first closure element to the closing position.
The movement of the second closure element in the lateral guides can be effected in that the lateral guides are formed by two inclined recesses of different length, whilst the second closure element is fitted with two correspondingly dimensioned guide shoes, wherein said recesses and said guide shoes are so positioned that during movement of the second closure element to the releasing position, the longer guide shoes first pass the shorter recesses before the longer guide shoes reach the longer recesses and the shorter guide shoes reach the shorter recesses.
Said closure element (or elements) may be a sun screen, for example.
The invention furthermore relates to an open roof construction of the present type, comprising a wind deflector which is pivotable between an inoperative position, in which it lies substantially in the plane of the roof, and an operative position, in which it slopes upwards from said plane, which wind deflector is spring-loaded to the operative position, and which engages, at least in its operative position, a stop which can be moved by the movement of the closure element. In accordance with the invention, this open roof construction comprises a curved member which can be driven by the driving element, a first curved portion of which mates with a spring member providing said spring load, and a second curved portion of which mates with a cam disposed on the wind deflector, which determines the pivoting angle that is caused by the spring load.
In principle the movable stop determines the pivoted position of the wind deflector, as is well-known. Once the stop has been moved, however, the cam that is disposed on the wind deflector will mate with the second curved portion of the curved member. The spring member that mates with the first curved portion also determines the spring load that is exerted on the wind deflector. Said spring load can be adjusted by suitably moving the curved member, therefore, it can for example be increased at high vehicle speeds. Nevertheless, it remains possible to pivot the wind deflector back against said spring load towards its inoperative position. The cam is moved clear of the second curved portion thereby. In other words, the spring member urges the cam against the second curved portion in such a situation.
Finally it is possible for the connection between the driving element and the curved member to comprise a spring member. In this way the curved member can be moved against the force of said spring member with respect to the driving element, which may be advantageous when the wind deflector is to be removed or maintenance work is to be carried out.